LOS ANGELES: Germany booked their place in the knockout rounds of the World Cup with a dramatic injury-time winner in a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast on Saturday as a heroic goalkeeping performance helped tiny Curacao clinch their first ever point in a goalless draw with Ecuador.
Substitute Deniz Undav was Germany’s saviour, scoring a 68th-minute equaliser before calmly slotting his second in the fourth minute of stoppage time to settle an enthralling game in Toronto.
The result marks the first time since 2014 that Germany have reached the knockout rounds after first-round eliminations in the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
“I am very happy that we won the match. In the end, we deservedly won it,” Nagelsmann told reporters in Toronto, describing the win as emotional. “The boys invested a lot. I’m very happy for the whole team because everyone knew they (were) important. Every player that came into the match (was) important.”
Germany’s come-from-behind victory was made even sweeter later on Saturday as Curacao — the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the World Cup with just 160,000 inhabitants — dug deep to secure a shock 0-0 draw with Ecuador in Kansas City.
The result means the Germans win Group ‘E’ with a game to spare.
Ivory Coast, however, remain in a strong position to advance and could book the Elephants’ first ever ticket to the World Cup knockout with a decisive win over Curacao next week.
“We still have everything to play for,” said Ivorian coach Emerse Fae. “I’m happy with the performance of my players during these 90 minutes… I think we had two teams that deserve to win,” he added. “Our primary objective is to get out of the group phase.”
‘I NEED A STATUE’
In the other Group ‘E’ match, Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room was the hero, keeping out a record 15 shots — the most ever saves in a game that did not involve extra time — as the underdogs secured their first ever World Cup point.
Room joked that he deserves a statue on the Caribbean island after a jaw-dropping display.
Curacao celebrated their draw in Kansas City wildly — days after a chastening 7-1 defeat against Germany on their debut.
“It means everything,” said Room. “It feels like a victory, you know, for us. But now it means a lot. It’s the first point in the World Cup for us. So it’s unreal if you know the journey where we come from and we’re now here. And today we showed we have real heart with the team. So it’s an unbelievable feeling.”
The Miami FC goalkeeper joked that he was disappointed to miss out on former US goalkeeper Tim Howard’s record of 16 saves noted by FIFA in a match against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup.
“I think he was sweating at home, you know, looking at the game,” he said. “But I heard it was also another record from long ago. So yeah, I’m proud of that.”
Room praised his team-mates but cheekily suggested his achievement should be set in stone.
“I’m really proud of the team also, because again, we did it with the team,” he said. “I make the saves, but we fought as a team, also the players who came in. But I think I need a statue in Curacao, I think now.”
Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece insisted “it is not over yet” after his side’s World Cup hopes were left hanging by a thread.
“Life has taught me you have to always continue to work, always learn, and challenges can become opportunities,” Beccacece told reporters. “It is normal now to feel this pain, this disappointment, but this is not over yet. We have 100 minutes ahead of us, and we’re going to be there in a sound way to try to reach our goals.”
1,000th GAME
In Saturday’s late game, Japan marked the 1,000th game in World Cup history with a 4-0 win over Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico.
The Japanese, who held the Netherlands to a 2-2 draw in their opening game, are now level on four points with the Dutch after a ruthless performance against Tunisia, who barely registered a shot on goal.
Daichi Kamada, Ayase Ueda (two) and Junya Ito scored the goals as the Blue Samurai extinguished any faint Tunisian hopes of qualifying for the knockout rounds.
Japan were without injured playmaker Takefusa Kubo, but their fluent attack hardly missed a beat with Ayase Ueda scoring twice and setting up another.
It was also a landmark moment for Asian football, with Japan becoming the first team from the continent to score four goals in a World Cup match.
“We prepared well for what we wanted to do and played aggressively,” Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu told DAZN, adding that the Japanese and Mexican fans in Monterrey had provided a huge boost.
For Tunisia, the defeat brought a swift and painful end to their campaign. Herve Renard was brought in after a 5-1 loss to Sweden in the hope that the veteran coach could spark a turnaround, but his first match in charge ended with elimination.
“We still have a third game to play, we are at a World Cup and must remain focused,” Renard said. “We must be professionals to the very end.”
Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2026